Presentar una postura
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Organize a short oral presentation around a clear central position, supported by evidence and examples.
- Use discourse markers appropriate to spoken presentation, distinguishing them from purely written transitions.
- Introduce and attribute evidence or examples without relying on direct quotation.
- Anticipate a counterpoint and respond to it respectfully within a presentation.
- Understand and respond to follow-up questions from an audience, including requests for clarification.
- Adjust pacing, emphasis, and formality for a spoken audience rather than a reader.
- Deliver a short presentation and respond to at least one question from a listener.
This chapter consolidates the argument structure, textual reference, and cohesive writing skills developed in Chapters 16 through 18 and applies them to spoken delivery. No major new productive grammar system is introduced in this chapter; the focus is on organizing prepared speech, using evidence orally, and interacting with an audience using language already active in the course.
Communication Scenario
The neighborhood association was so pleased with Camila's newsletter article that they have invited her to present her findings at the next community meeting. This time, Camila cannot simply read her written article aloud: she must prepare a short spoken presentation, decide what to say if someone disagrees with her, and be ready to answer questions from neighbors afterward.
- Before reading, think about a time you had to explain your position to a group and someone pushed back. How did you respond?
- Notice how a written text and a spoken presentation on the same topic can differ in structure, pacing, and the way evidence is introduced.
Core Vocabulary: La presentación oral
Purpose: to provide the vocabulary needed to introduce a position, present evidence, acknowledge a counterpoint, and manage audience questions.
| Español | Significado | Nota |
|---|---|---|
| la postura | position, stance | the central claim of a presentation |
| el argumento | argument | a reason offered in support of a postura |
| la evidencia | evidence | data, examples, or observations that support an argumento |
| el contraargumento | counterargument | a position that opposes or qualifies the speaker's postura |
| el público | audience | collective noun, singular in form |
| plantear | to raise, to pose | plantear una pregunta, plantear un problema |
| aclarar | to clarify | used when responding to a request for clarification |
| coincidir con | to agree with | used to acknowledge a counterpoint partially |
| discrepar de | to disagree with | more formal than no estar de acuerdo |
| según | according to | used to attribute evidence without direct quotation |
| tener en cuenta | to take into account | often used when acknowledging a counterpoint |
| la diapositiva | slide | relevant for presentations that use visual support |
All items above are productive vocabulary for this chapter. Note the contrast between coincidir con and discrepar de; the Grammar section shows how both can appear in the same response when a speaker partially agrees with a counterpoint.
Grammar: Evidencia, contraargumento y preguntas
Purpose: to develop spoken discourse markers, evidence attribution, and counterpoint language that extend the argument structure, reference chains, and cohesive transitions already active from Chapters 16 through 18 into the specific demands of oral delivery.
A short oral presentation typically follows a pattern related to, but not identical with, the written paragraph structure from Chapter 18:
- Apertura: a brief greeting and a statement of the postura, often more direct than a written introduction.
- Desarrollo: two or three supporting points, each introduced clearly so a listener (who cannot re-read) can follow the structure.
- Reconocimiento del contraargumento: a brief acknowledgment of an opposing view.
- Cierre: a short summary and, often, an invitation for questions.
Example opening: Buenas tardes a todos. Hoy quiero hablarles sobre los cambios que ha tenido nuestro barrio en los últimos años, y en particular sobre el nuevo mercado y la reunión que organizó la asociación.
Some written transitions from Chapter 18 sound overly formal when spoken aloud in an informal community setting. This chapter develops a spoken-register alternative set, organized by function:
- Introducir el primer punto: para empezar, lo primero que quiero mencionar es...
- Añadir un punto: otro punto importante es..., además de esto
- Presentar evidencia: según un estudio reciente, los datos muestran que..., un ejemplo claro de esto es...
- Reconocer un contraargumento: es cierto que..., algunas personas podrían decir que..., sin embargo
- Cerrar: para concluir, en fin
Both the written inventory from Chapter 18 and this spoken inventory remain available; the choice depends on medium and audience, not on one replacing the other.
Spoken presentations often attribute evidence to a source without quoting it word for word. The preposition según and the impersonal se, already active from earlier chapters, support this function: Según la asociación de vecinos, más familias usan el mercado nuevo cada mes. / Se ha observado un aumento en la participación comunitaria.
Do not present invented statistics or sources as real; when evidence is illustrative rather than factual, frame it clearly: Imaginemos, por ejemplo, el caso de una familia que...
A well-prepared speaker acknowledges an opposing view before returning to their own postura, rather than ignoring it. This often combines a concessive clause (aunque, already receptive-to-developed since Chapter 3) with a return to the main argument:
Aunque algunos vecinos prefieren mantener el mercado como está, los datos sugieren que la mayoría apoya su expansión.
Partial agreement is common and often more persuasive than flat rejection: Coincido en que el cambio ha sido rápido, pero discrepo de la idea de que haya sido negativo para el barrio.
Audience questions often require a short clarification before a full answer. Useful patterns include:
- Pedir que se repita: ¿Podría repetir la pregunta, por favor?
- Confirmar que se entendió: Si entiendo bien, usted pregunta si...
- Aclarar antes de responder: Para aclarar, me refiero específicamente a...
- Responder cuando no se sabe algo: No tengo esa información en este momento, pero puedo averiguarlo.
Práctica controlada:
- Convierte esta oración escrita en una apertura oral más directa: "El propósito de este texto es explicar los cambios recientes en el barrio."
- Elige la expresión más lógica para reconocer un contraargumento: "_____ (Es cierto que / Según) el mercado nuevo ha traído más tráfico, pero también ha traído más actividad económica."
- Escribe una respuesta breve a esta pregunta de un oyente: "¿Puede explicar de nuevo por qué la reunión fue tan importante?"
Reading Passage: El guion de una presentación
Guion de Camila para la reunión del barrio (fragmento)
Buenas tardes a todos, y gracias por invitarme a hablar hoy. Para empezar, quiero compartir con ustedes algunos cambios que ha tenido nuestro barrio en los últimos años. Lo primero que quiero mencionar es la apertura del mercado nuevo, donde muchos vecinos ahora compran productos de otras regiones del país. Según la asociación, la participación en el mercado ha crecido cada mes desde que abrió. Otro punto importante es la reunión que organizamos hace unas semanas, en la que dos vecinos presentaron costumbres de sus lugares de origen. Es cierto que algunas personas prefieren que el barrio cambie más lentamente, y entiendo esa preocupación. Sin embargo, los datos que hemos recogido sugieren que la mayoría de los vecinos ve estos cambios de manera positiva. Para concluir, creo que el barrio se ha vuelto un lugar más conectado con el resto del país, y con gusto responderé a sus preguntas.
This script is an adapted textbook composition written for this chapter, not an authentic recorded transcript. It is a model script, not the only acceptable way to organize the presentation.
- Identify the sentence that states Camila's central postura.
- Find two spoken discourse markers from this chapter's inventory that would sound overly formal in Camila's written newsletter article from Chapter 18.
- Locate the sentence where Camila acknowledges a counterpoint before returning to her main argument.
- Identify the phrase Camila uses to attribute evidence without quoting a source directly.
- Explain in your own words how Camila's closing invites audience participation.
Listening Task
Ask your instructor, a partner, or a text-to-speech tool to read Camila's script aloud, followed by two audience questions below. As you listen, complete the chart, noting the type of response Camila should give to each question.
| Pregunta del público | Tipo de respuesta necesaria | Posible respuesta |
|---|---|---|
| "¿Puede repetir cuántos vecinos participaron en la reunión?" | ______ | ______ |
| "¿Por qué cree que el mercado ha tenido tanto éxito?" | ______ | ______ |
Writing Workshop: El guion de apoyo
Before speaking, most presenters benefit from writing a short support script or set of notes. Using the revised article you wrote for Chapter 18 (or a new topic of your choice), prepare a written script for a two- to three-minute oral presentation.
- Adapta la apertura. Rewrite your written introduction as a more direct spoken opening appropriate for greeting a live audience.
- Selecciona de dos a tres puntos. Choose the two or three strongest supporting points from your written text; a spoken presentation cannot cover as much detail as a written article.
- Marca la evidencia. Identify where you will attribute evidence using según or impersonal se, rather than reading a long written quotation aloud.
- Prepara el contraargumento. Write one sentence acknowledging an opposing view and one sentence returning to your postura.
- Escribe el cierre. Prepare a short summary and an invitation for questions.
- Anticipa una pregunta. Write one question a listener might reasonably ask, and prepare a brief spoken response.
Lista de revisión:
- My opening greets the audience and states my postura directly.
- I selected a manageable number of supporting points for spoken delivery.
- I used at least one spoken discourse marker from this chapter's inventory.
- I attributed evidence without relying on a long direct quotation.
- I acknowledged a counterpoint before returning to my own position.
- I prepared for at least one audience question.
Speaking Task
Práctica controlada
With a partner, take turns reading aloud a written sentence from your Chapter 18 article and converting it, on the spot, into a more direct spoken opening using a marker from this chapter's inventory.
Tarea comunicativa: Presentación y preguntas
Deliver your short presentation from the Writing Workshop to a partner or small group. Your listener(s) should ask at least one follow-up question, including at least one request for clarification (¿Podría explicar eso de nuevo?). Respond using the patterns from this chapter.
Alternativa individual
If you are studying independently: record yourself delivering your presentation, then listen back and note one place where you could improve your acknowledgment of a counterpoint. Prepare a written response to one question you imagine an audience member might ask, then record a spoken answer to it.
Culture and Communication
Community meetings, neighborhood associations, and local presentations exist in many Spanish-speaking communities, though their level of formality, expected length, and typical audience participation can vary by country, city, and institution. Acknowledging an opposing view during a presentation is generally seen as a sign of preparation and respect for the audience, rather than a sign of weakness in one's own position.
Norms for interrupting a speaker with questions, waiting until the end, or submitting written questions vary across communities, institutions, and event types rather than following a single "Spanish-speaking" pattern. This course does not require learners to master every institutional norm for audience participation; the goal is to deliver a clear, organized presentation and respond appropriately to a question using the systems active in this volume.
A presenter's choice of usted or tú when addressing an audience can depend on the audience's age, the setting's formality, and regional convention. A community meeting for neighbors of all ages, like Camila's, often uses ustedes consistently rather than mixing address forms within the same talk.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Error: Reading a written article aloud word for word, using written transitions like asimismo or no obstante that sound stiff in a spoken community setting.
Correction: Adapt written transitions into spoken discourse markers: use además de esto or sin embargo in a more conversational rhythm, and shorten sentences for the ear rather than the eye.
Error: Ignoring a counterpoint entirely, or dismissing it abruptly — Algunas personas no están de acuerdo, pero no importa.
Correction: Acknowledge the counterpoint respectfully before returning to your position: Entiendo que algunas personas prefieren un cambio más lento; sin embargo, los datos sugieren que...
Error: Answering a question before confirming what was actually asked, leading to a response that does not match the listener's real question.
Correction: Confirm or restate the question briefly before answering: Si entiendo bien, usted pregunta si el mercado ha afectado el tráfico del barrio.
Chapter Review
Parte A — Estructura de la presentación
1. Escribe una apertura oral breve (dos oraciones) para una presentación sobre un tema de tu elección, saludando al público y anunciando tu postura.
Parte B — Marcadores orales
1. Reescribe esta transición escrita como un marcador más natural para hablar: "Asimismo, es importante considerar el impacto económico."
Parte C — Contraargumento
1. Escribe una oración que reconozca un contraargumento y otra que regrese a tu postura, sobre el tema de tu presentación.
Parte D — Preguntas del público
1. Escribe una respuesta breve a esta pregunta: "¿Podría explicar de nuevo por qué esto le parece importante?"
Practical Performance Task
Tarea práctica — Capítulo 19
Presentación oral con preguntas del público
Complete the following integrated task:
- Submit your written support script from the Writing Workshop.
- Answer the five Reading Task questions in writing.
- Complete the Listening Task chart above.
- Deliver your presentation to a partner or small group and respond to at least one follow-up question, or record the independent-study alternative.
Portafolio del capítulo
- Written support script for the oral presentation.
- Completed reading analysis questions.
- Completed listening chart.
- Notes or a recording from the delivered presentation and question response.
| Criterio | Logrado | En desarrollo |
|---|---|---|
| Organización de la presentación | La postura y los puntos de apoyo son claros para un oyente | La estructura es difícil de seguir de oído |
| Marcadores orales | Usa marcadores adecuados para el habla, no solo transiciones escritas | Depende de transiciones demasiado formales o escritas |
| Uso de evidencia | Atribuye evidencia con naturalidad sin citar textualmente | Cita de forma mecánica o no atribuye la evidencia |
| Contraargumento | Reconoce una postura opuesta con respeto antes de regresar a la suya | Ignora o rechaza el contraargumento sin reconocerlo |
| Respuesta a preguntas | Confirma o aclara la pregunta antes de responder con precisión | Responde sin confirmar lo que se preguntó |
| Fluidez y pronunciación | El habla es comprensible con un ritmo natural | Pausas o errores frecuentes afectan la comprensión |
Answer Key
Grammar Practice
- Model answer: "Hoy quiero hablarles sobre los cambios recientes en nuestro barrio."
- Es cierto que
- Model answer: "Claro, la reunión fue importante porque permitió a los vecinos conocer costumbres de otras regiones y sentirse más parte de una comunidad conectada."
Reading Task — Model Analysis
1. "Lo primero que quiero mencionar es la apertura del mercado nuevo" together with the closing statement about the barrio becoming more connected together express Camila's central postura. 2. Para empezar and otro punto importante es would sound stiff in the more literary written register of Chapter 18's article. 3. "Es cierto que algunas personas prefieren que el barrio cambie más lentamente, y entiendo esa preocupación" acknowledges the counterpoint before Camila returns to her position. 4. Según la asociación attributes evidence without direct quotation. 5. Model answer: Camila's closing summarizes her position briefly and explicitly says she will answer questions, signaling that the floor is now open to the audience.
Listening Task
Model answers: First question — a clarification/repetition response, since the listener is asking for a number to be repeated; Camila might say Con gusto lo repito: según la asociación, la participación ha crecido cada mes. Second question — an explanatory response requiring reasoning beyond the script; Camila might say Creo que el mercado ha tenido éxito porque ofrece productos que antes no se conseguían fácilmente en el barrio.
Chapter Review — Parte C (model answer)
Entiendo que algunas personas prefieren mantener las cosas como están; sin embargo, creo que este cambio ha beneficiado a la mayoría de los vecinos.
Chapter Review — Parte D (model answer)
Me parece importante porque afecta directamente a las familias del barrio y a cómo se relacionan entre sí.
Looking Ahead
Lo que ya sabes
You can now organize a short oral presentation around a clear postura, use spoken discourse markers distinct from written transitions, attribute evidence without direct quotation, acknowledge a counterpoint respectfully, and respond to audience questions with clarification strategies. These skills extend the argument structure and cohesive writing developed in Chapters 16 through 18 into confident spoken delivery.